Chickasaw Mudd Puppies - White Dirt (CD)

All Music Guide

Calling the Chickasaw Mudd Puppies both roots-rock and alternative rock may seem like a contradiction, but both terms would be appropriate in describing White Dirt. This unorthodox band, which enjoyed a small cult following, has a delightfully bluesy, Louisiana-influenced swamp boogie foundation that owes a strong debt to Creedence Clearwater Revival. But Brant Slay's eccentric vocals (which sometimes bring to mind Primus' goofy Les Claypool) aren't what you'd expect from a roots band. This isn't to say that the Mudd Puppies have actually been influenced by Primus' dissonant funk-metal -- the instrumentation is a lot closer to what you'd expect from a blues-rock band in Baton Rouge. But if any songs have even come close to bridging the gap between Claypool's vocal style and the sounds of the swamp, they would have to be "Ponky Knot," "Frogmore" and "Raven." The Puppies' adventurous spirit serves them consistently well on a CD that is as quirky as it is captivating. - Alex Henderson, Al...l Music Guide Read more Less